Means for braking and blocking the fabric in circular looms



Aprii 1967 A. MALCHAIR 3,313,322

MEANS FOR BRAKING AND BLOCKING THE FABRIC IN CIRCULAR LOOMS Filed Dec. 28, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR A. {Va/chair 4 J 2Lex TTOKNE5S A ril 11, 1967 A.MALCHA1R 333139322 MEANS FOR BRAKING AND BLOCKING THE FABRIC IN CIRCULAR LOOMS Filed Dec. 28, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR A Mala/1 cu'r GLLUMNJA% ATTORNE'ES April 11, 1967 A. MALCHAIR 3,313,322

MEANS FOR BRAKING AND BLOCKING THE FABRIC IN CIRCULAR LOOMS Filed Dec. 28. 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 I NVE NTOR A. Fla/chair BY G QXLMQQ Y April 11,. 1967 A. MALCHAIR 3,313,322

MEANS FOR BRAKING AND BLOCKING THE FABRIC IN CIRCULAR LOOMS Filed Dec. 28. 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN VE N TOR.

A. Mala/Muir" ATTO ILNEBS United States Patent 3,313,322 MEANS FUR BRAKING AND BLOCKING TI-E FABRIC IN CIRCULAR LOOMS Armand Malchair, Herstai, Belgium, assignor, by mesue assignments, to Peltzer & Fils S.A., societe anonyme, Verviers, Belgium, a company of Belgium Filed Dec. 28, 1964, Ser. No. 421,516 Claims priority, application France, Dec. 30, 1963, 958,818, Patent 1,388,874 4 ll-aims. (Cl. 139-13) In circular looms each weft thread or pick is closed up either by a plurality of curved reeds, or by consolidators or by means of a toothed wheel, generally fixed to the shuttle carrier, engaging with the warp threads. Consequently, in contrast to what happens in straight looms, the traction exerted by the closing-up device is applied not simultaneously to all the warp threads but successively to a small number of them. Although these local variations in tension are more or less controlled, on the part of the beam, by the usual compensators, they nevertheless involve inadvertent local remilling of the fabric formed, which cannot be controlled by the winding drums. Such remilling too often causes malformation of the fabric, such as lumps, imperfect closing-up, etc. In addition the pick is not arranged along a perfect circumference but along a curve with regularly spaced points of inflection.

On the other hand in known circular looms, when the loom is stopped by design or by chance, it is not possible to free the warp threads from the pull resulting from the weight of fabric formed, nor to hold the latter strictly in position for the resumption of weaving. This is particularly important When the loom is immobilised for several hours, since elongation of the threads is a function not only of the traction forces to which they are subjected but equally, within certain limits, of the time for which such forces are applied.

These problems are of prime importance in circular looms. The fabric formed must in fact provide a surface perfectly capable of development since any defect, however slight, is generally accentuated when the fabric is laid out fiat.

A first object of the present invention is to provide a device forming a weaving ring, which is adapted to absorb the forces resulting from the closing up of the weft threads or pick by the consolidators by providing a bearing surface for the fabric formed, during the closingup method.

Another object of the invention is to make it possible at all times for the fabric formed to be blocked strictly in position in relation to the weaving ring without there being any danger of local tension arising, both in the fabric formed and in the cloth of the warp threads.

Yet another object is to provide such a device of relatively simple and inexpensive construction, which can be rapidly controlled and give free access to any other component of the loom. The means for braking and blocking the fabric for a circular loom substantially comprise an annular male element co-operating with at least one female element so as to define a deflector forming a passage for the fabric formed, said elements being in the immediate vicinity of the fabric-forming circle, means being provided to allow the pressure exerted by the male element or elements on the female element or elements to be adjusted as desired.

For the sake of clarity an example of a device according to the invention will now be described, purely by way of illustration, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic part-sectional plan View of a circular loom equipped with the device according to the invention,

3,313,322 Patented Apr. 11, 1967 FIGURE 2 is a radial section taken along the line II-II in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a radial section through the braking and blocking device according to the invention,

FIGURE 4 shows the part of the device indicated at F4 in FIGURE 3, on an enlarged scale, and

FIGURE 5 is a view of the part of the device indicated at F5 in FIGURE 4, on an enlarged scale.

In the example illustrated, the circular loom to which the device according to the invention is applied is of the type comprising a plurality of small straight looms arranged in a circle, of which the following essential parts have been shown: a beam 1 and its tightener 2, the compensators 3, the drawing-in mechanisms 4, the shuttles 5, consolidators 6, reeds 7, the weaving ring 8, a winding drum 9 for the fabric, the supervision platform 10, a foot 11, the drum 12 and the selector 13.

In this example the weaving ring 8 forms the female element of the fabric-braking and blocking device. For this purpose its top end is provided successivelyworking inwards from the outside of the loom-with a rounded edge 14, a horizontal table 15, an annular groove 16, a shoulder 17, a chamfered edge 18 and a vertical guiding surface 19.

The male element of the device comprises an annular plate 20 having an oblique upper face 21, a horizontal lower face 22 and, on the latter, a rounded rib 23 forming the male element proper and designed to co-operate with the groove 16 of the female element or weaving ring 8.

The annular plate 20 is preferably provided, perpendicularly to its lower horizontal face 22, with an annular guiding member 24 fixed by a screw 25 to the plate 20, the outer face 26 of the annular member 24 being concentric with the face 19 of the weaving ring 8.

The annular plate 20 is carried by an annular plate 27, itself fixed by bolts 28 to the limbs 29 of a star-shaped support having a hub 30, the latter being coaxial with the weaving ring 8.

The hub 30 contains an axial bore 31 through which a vertical rod 32 passes. The lower threaded end 33 of the rod is designed to receive a head in the form of a hook 34 engaging a shaft 35 which is carried by a support 36 fixed to the base of the loom.

The top threaded end 37 of the rod 32 is engaged in the threaded hub 38 of a manipulating wheel 39, a spiral spring 40 being interposed between the hub 38 of the wheel 39 and the hub 30 of the star-shaped support.

The lower horizontal face 22 and the rounded rib 23 of the male element 20 on the one hand, and the table 15, groove 15 and shoulder 17 of the weaving ring 8 on the other hand define a deflecting passage for the formed fabric 41, subjecting the latter to vertical pressure as indicated by the arrows Fa in FIGURE 5.

The pressure exerted by the male element 20 on the fabric formed may be adapted to the nature of fabric manufactured and, respectively, to the desired degree of braking, by screwing up or unscrewing the wheel 39 or by compressing or relaxing the spring 40. If the wheel is screwed beyond the braking position the fabric will be firmly squeezed over the whole circumference of the weaving ring, that is to say, held in a blocked position over its whole width. The fabric thus held is subject to regularly distributed stresses and any risk of slipping or local hypertension is systematically eliminated. Moreover the warp threads are freed from the weight of the fabric formed which, for example, makes it easier to form knots when one or more warp threads have been broken and makes the fabric resulting from such knotting less imperfect. The invention is obviously not restricted to the embodiment described above, and even extensive modifications may be made to the components of the device. Thus the weaving ring may form the single or multiple male element, while the corresponding adjustable female element may be formed by a plurality of spaced or non-spaced curved elements. Similarly the device for controlling the pressure of the male element on the female element may be of any type, and the fabric may be blocked automatically by control means subject, for example, to the thread breakers. The braking and blocking means may be of any dimensions and made of any appropriate materials.

I claim:

1. In a circular loom, the device which comprises means for braking and blocking the fabric, said means comprising at least one male element and a weaving ring constituting at least one female element, said elements cooperating to define deflectors forming a passage for the fabric, said male and female elements being adjacent to said fabric, said male element being inside said weaving ring, and means for varying the pressure exerted by the male element on the fabric, wherein the upper end of the weaving ring is provided successively, working inwards from the outside of the loom, with a rounded edge, a horizontal table, an annular groove, a shoulder and a chamfered edge, said male element being adjustable and designed to cap said weaving ring, said male element also having a lower horizontal face formed with a rib designed to enter the groove of the female element.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein the male element is provided, perpendicularly to its lower horizontal face, with a guiding and bearing member for the fabric formed, generally parallel and concentric with the inner face of the weaving ring.

3. A device as defined in claim 2, wherein the male element is in the form of an annular plate, a star-shaped support, said star-shaped support having a hub coaxial with the weaving ring, said star-shaped support carrying said male element, the means for varying the pressure exerted by the male element comprising a single control device actuating said device.

4. A device as defined in claim 3, wherein the single control device for adjusting the pressure exerted by the male element on the fabric. formed substantially comprises a vertical rod coaxial with the weaving ring, the lower end of said rod being articulated to the base of the loom, its upper threaded end being engaged by a threaded hole in the hub of a control wheel, and a spiral spring around said rod between the hub of the star-shaped support and the hub of the control wheel.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 951,451 3/1910 Peterson 13913 1,536,827 5/1925 Draper 139291 1,799,995 4/1931 Tebo 139291 2,260,760 10/1941 Turner 139291 2,735,451 2/1956 Christiansen et al. 13913 2,893,439 11/1959 Rabeux et al 13913 2,913,799 11/1959 Rabeux et al 13913 X 3,165,125 1/1965 Tinkham 139291 FOREIGN PATENTS 321,886 6/1920 Germany.

679,694 1/ 1930 France.

627,191 3/ 1936 Germany.

506,966 11/1951 Belgium.

869,627 3/ 1953 Germany.

129,551 10/1959 Russia.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

I. KEE CHI, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A CIRCULAR LOOM, THE DEVICE WHICH COMPRISES MEANS FOR BRAKING AND BLOCKING THE FABRIC, SAID MEANS COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE MALE ELEMENT AND A WEAVING RING CONSTITUTING AT LEAST ONE FEMALE ELEMENT, SAID ELEMENTS COOPERATING TO DEFINE DEFLECTORS FORMING A PASSAGE FOR THE FABRIC, SAID MALE AND FEMALE ELEMENTS BEING ADJACENT TO SAID FABRIC, SAID MALE ELEMENT BEING INSIDE SAID WEAVING RING, AND MEANS FOR VARYING THE PRESSURE EXERTED BY THE MALE ELEMENT ON THE FABRIC, WHEREIN THE UPPER END OF THE WEAVING RING IS PROVIDED SUCCESSIVELY, WORKING INWARDS FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE LOOM, WITH A ROUNDED EDGE, A HORIZONTAL TABLE, AN ANNULAR GROOVE, A SHOULDER AND A CHAMFERED EDGE, SAID MALE ELEMENT BEING ADJUSTABLE AND DESIGNED TO CAP SAID WEAVING RING, SAID MALE ELEMENT ALSO HAVING A LOWER HORIZONTAL FACE FORMED WITH A RIB DESIGNED TO ENTER THE GROOVE OF THE FEMALE ELEMENT. 